Improvement in machines for removing snow and ice from roadways



c. s. wnlamaujw'.I Machines for Removing Snnw and Ice fromuroadJwayls.

No' 146,219. l (7gg/ 'i Patentedlan. 6,1874.

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Nrrnn STATES PATENT CFFIGE.

CHARLES G. VATERBURY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR REMOVING SNOW AND ICE FROM ROADWAYS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,219, dated January 6, 1874; application `filed March 29, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES G. WATER- I BURY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a n ew and Improved Means for Removing Snow and Ice from Railways, of which the following is a specification.:

The invention will first be fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

Figure lis a plan view of a machine such Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation, and Fig. 3 is a plan of the bottom.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts. l

A represents the box. It is considerably wider than the space between the rails, and mounted on, say, four car-wheels, B', so as to extend as much beyond the rails outside as may be needed to clear the road-bed on each side of the track. B represents a furnace at one end, and C one at the other end beyond the axles. Both are inclosed at thesides and top, and surrounded by a water-jacket, D, for containing water for the protection of the walls of the furnace, also for generating steam for driving the fan, propelling the machine, or for use in combinationV with the lire-heat for melting the snow and ice, as may be preferred. The furnace B has ordinary fire-grate bars E, extending part of the way across from the side F, and terminating at G, from which to the side F, at the lower edge, is a plate, H, or other wall, inclosing an air-box, J under the grates, into which the air-blast isreceived from a fan, K, to supply the oxygen for the combustion of the fuel, and to blow the heat over the bridge at G, and down through space L upon the ground. In the other furnace the air-blast is delivered on the top of the re, and passes down between the grates M, which are hollow tubes through which the water contained in the jacket circulates for their protect-ion.

Hydrocarbon fuel will be used in the furnaces constructed on this plan, either alone or in combination with coal or coke. They will, for this purpose, be provided with any suitable hydrocarbonburner. Such fuels may also be burned in the other furnaces, but they are specially designed to make coal or coke alone available in machines formelting snow and ice on the ground over which they pass.

In this example only one fan is represented for blowing the res, with a pipe, N, extending be employed, if preferred.

O represents charges for supplying the coal or coke fuel in such manner as to prevent the escape of the blast by filling them, closing the top, and then opening the bottom. The sides and as near to the ground as needed to conne the heat against escaping too rapidly thereat, and so that it will mainly pass from the furnace, which will always be the front one in operation, toward the rear end. The heat will also ,be confined at the front and along the sides by the snow when more than a couple of niches deep, or thereabout, which may be scraped up at the front and thrown olf in ridges by the box, if` not melted altogether at the front, which will probably be the case; but the ridges, if any, will be melted by the heat escaping along the sides as the machine advances. A.

y The machine will be drawn by horses, and be moved fast or Aslow as needed for the depth of snow to accomplish the work. The heat will also be regulated by the quantity of 'air blown in by the fans, which may be regulated at will in any` of the well-known ways.

For roads having a turn-table at each end, a furnace will only be needed in one end; but as few horse-roads have them, I propose to have one in each end, and change the blast from one to the other, as the direction is changed at the ends of the route.

I propose to case the journals of the wheels, as shown at P, to protect them from the heat as much as possible, but will not extendr this casing to the sides of the box, because it is important to have a clear passage, Q., of considerable height along the sides, where more heat is required than between the wheels, on account of escaping under the sides, and the greater amount of work to be done thereat.

Between the wheels this casing may extend directly across the space, as represented in from it to each; but a special fan for each may of the box extend as much below the wheels the drawing, or it may be arched along the middle portion7 as indicatedr by the dotted lines.

There may be openings through the oor Y into the space., in which the upper parts of the Wheels are incased, for applying the oil to the journals, and for the brakes to act on, the wheels. Frebably it Will bc best to arrange the brakes in the box in some Way so as to act on the Wheels at the top or thereabout.

Tater for the supply of the jacket D may be carried in a tank, R, and the liquid fuel in the tank S, Whichwill have any suitable connection for feeding,` the jacket and the burners automatically. The pipes U may be used for (blowing Voff the steam when the niachineris not Working. The fans may be located in any Meme other part of the machine Where it may be preferred to have them. They will probably be geared with one of the ear-axles.

H( ving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1 The combination, with a re-box713, having the grate E, and the tan K having the nozzle N, ofthe air-box J in the grate of furnace, to both supply oxygen to the re and force the heated current of air over bridge Gr and down space L upon the snow7 as set forth.

C. G. `WATERBURY- Wlitnesses:

A. P. THAYER, T. B. Mosnnn. 

